The Ultimate Prize
by oHONEYNUTcheerioso
Summary: This is the beginning of a beautiful romance --scratch that-- feud? Arthur and Morgana prepare for an upcoming knight's tournament with an unlikely competitor....Morgana herself! See what happens when these two beauties face off with swords!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:**

**Hey Everyone! We're new around here (Honey and I) and we hope you love the first part of our story, please comment and review! Let us know how we're doing! **

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She sifted through the grey bowl of porridge, not entirely attentive to the king's speech. He was going on about another tournament, which was all too common in Camelot to interest her anymore. It was the same every time. Knights would come from all over Albion, there would be fighting, someone would get close to death, and Arthur would win._ The last thing he needs is another reason to be so haughty._ Her eyes glanced up from the silver dish to the young prince in front of her, hungrily eating a loaf of bread. He smiled cockily at his father, knowing that tomorrow's event would just be another victory.

"How many knights are participating in the tournament tomorrow?"

King Uther smiled confidently at his son before taking a sip from his goblet, "Twelve total. You should get to bed early tonight in preparation. They have been training hard."

"I'm sure they'll be no challenge for me," Arthur said offhandedly. His blue eyes glanced back down to the silver plate for a brief second, "Is there a… new prize this time?"

There was an uncomfortable feeling swirling around in her stomach at Arthur's words. She fidgeted in her seat, forcibly stirring her breakfast as a distraction. But her thoughts still dwindled. _Why? Does he want a new prize?_ She shook her head speedily. _What am I thinking? He's a pretentious prat._ Her ears perked up nevertheless, attention straying from the now cold mush to the older man on her left. Uther gave her a soft look and then turned back to his son, "I can think of no greater prize then taking the Lady Morgana to the ball. It appears to be very popular with the knights."

Arthur huffed, "If you're sure. But it seems a little unfair, doesn't it Morgana?" He crossed his arms over his bright red tunic and focused his gaze on her, "I mean how are you supposed to ever find a suitor if I'm the only one who takes you to these balls?"

_What?_

Her grip from her spoon loosened, dropping the metal utensil with a loud clang. "I am perfectly capable of finding a suitor, Arthur. It's just a misfortune I have you as my escort every time."

"A _misfortune_?" The young prince laughed and leaned back in the tall wooden chair, "Most ladies would not hold the same opinion as you."

Morgana shrugged, "Those girls obviously don't know you at all then."She flashed him a coy smile, "But I'm sure someday you'll grow out of your narcissism."

His light expression quickly diminished to annoyance. Arthur sat straight up, fists clenched at his side, "Well at least I won't grow up to be a withered, lonely..."

Those words hit her hard, biting fiercely into her for an unknown reason. She stood up from her chair, that feeling transforming into sudden anger. "Excuse me." Morgana turned from the dark wooden dining table and swiftly walked into the castle's bright hallway, her usual light footsteps becoming loud with annoyance. The early sun's light shimmered through the panes of glass behind her as she made her way back to her bedroom_, _needing to escape. Her breath was starting to become even again when she heard a loud voice behind her.

"Morgana!"

She turned sharply at the familiar voice, not too eager to face him right now. "What?"

"You seem…disturbed." Arthur walked closer to her. His face showed no sign of concern, just curiosity. Arthur's footsteps echoed calmly on the hard surface as he made his way closer to her.

"I assure you, I'm fine." But she couldn't hide the disdain her voice. She gave Arthur a slight nod and turned back around, grabbing the edge of her deep blue dress to hasten her movements.

"No, you're not." He grabbed her arm forcefully and pulled her back around. "Might as well get on with it and tell me before I find out from Merlin or Gwen. Why are you so quick to run away?"

Morgana strongly tore herself away from his grip, "You make me sound like an old hag!"

"A hag? Now what did I say to give you that impression?" His expression only read amused.

"I can't find a suitor!? I'll be withered and alone?"

Arthur simply shrugged, "You have yet to prove me wrong, Morgana." His leather boots turned back around, "Now if that's the only reason you seem all huffy…"

"Huffy? I'm huffy? Well, I suppose it's better than being haughty."

"_I'm_ haughty? Absolutely not!"

"This is from the prince who doesn't have the slightest worry about losing?"

"Also yet to be proven wrong. Maybe I should just do you a favor and lose tomorrow's tournament for you?"

That was it. Her chest was heaving with irritation, stormy eyes piercing at the prince, "Don't do me any favors. What a blow that would be to your ego! I don't know if you could bear it." Her voice tinged with sarcasm.

"No, no the pleasure will be all mine. That way you can have your knight to protect you."

She was practically fuming. Heat radiated off her anger, thickening the air. Morgana bit the edge of her lip, "I do not need anyone to protect me, Arthur."

He waved her off and started to head back towards the dining room, considerably unconcerned at her apparent rage, "If you say so…" His gloved hand touched the doorknob, but he quickly turned back around, the light suddenly reflecting from his blond hair. She felt that swirl in her stomach heighten when he turned back around. He paused for a second, scratching his head and glancing from the floor to her face. "Look, Morgana…"

"What?" She regretted the sharpness in her voice, seeing the teasing look in his eyes vanish.

"I…just…" Arthur shook his head, his smirk returning, "I'm sure you'll be happy…even if it is when you're a withered old hag."

The heavy wooden door slammed behind the prince before she could even think of a retort.

"He's a complete ass!" She picked up the fluffy, silk pillow on the bed, only to throw it back to the ground in annoyance. "How can someone so insolent, so inconsiderate ever be king?" Morgana breathed out harshly, a sad attempt to release some anger. She stomped over to the side chair and plopped down, dark hair falling wildly around her shoulders. "Must he always be so…so…"

"I think it's just in his nature." Gwen fumbled for the pillow on the floor and placed it back neatly on Morgana's bed. Her hand lightly tapped Morgana's shoulder, trying to comfort her, "He has always been that way, but I do not see why you are worrying so much about it now." There was a slight gleam in her eye. "What did he say to you exactly?"

"That I won't ever be able to find a suitor. The nerve of him to say something…"

"Morgana."

She quickly became confused as she turned to face Gwen. There was no sympathy or even pity on her face. _Why is she smiling?_ The bright hint in her eye seemed to only spread, her mouth turning into a wide grin, "What? Why do you seem so happy?"

Gwen laughed, "Nothing…just ignore me. But maybe if you two just talked…"

"Talked?" Morgana smirked at that, "I can't talk to him! Not until he learns some humility."

There was a soft knock on the door, making Gwen abandon the conversation. The servant opened it happily to reveal a young man with dark brown hair standing on the other side. "Hello, Merlin!"

"Hello, Gwen…Lady Morgana." The boy blinked, confused at Morgana's disgruntled state and Gwen's uneasiness. "…Is something wrong?"

"Nothing unusual." Gwen smiled and gestured for him to walk in and sit down.

Morgana sighed, "Arthur's a prat."

"Well that certainly isn't unusual." Merlin gave Morgana a humorous smile, but to no avail. Her normally pale face was flushed with anger, and she twisted her dark curls in complete annoyance. "Is…there anyway I can help?"

The lady sighed, "I doubt it. Unless you could help one of those twelve knights defeat Arthur tomorrow."

"Twelve?" Merlin suddenly dug through his coat pocket, pulling out a long piece of thick, yellow paper. "…Only 11 now actually. I just received a letter for the king that Marhaus of Cornwall is unable to attend tomorrow."

_He is? _ Morgana couldn't help but smile, "Does the king know of this?"

Merlin shook his head, "Nope. I was just going to tell him now, but I just wanted to stop by and…"

"I think it would be better if you didn't tell him." Morgana had a complete grin now, mood swiftly changing from anger to pure excitement.

Gwen looked crossly at her, noticing her sudden smile, "Do you intend to find someone to replace him?"

"Yes, someone who can beat him." She was walking to her armoire now, rummaging through her gowns and corsets, blue eyes scanning for a particular item.

Merlin blinked at her behavior, "Who? Who can beat Arthur at a fighting tournament?"

Morgana spun around cheerfully, flourishing the piece of clothing in the air like a new trophy. The two servant's eyebrows rose. It was a wrinkled, light grey men's tunic. "Me."

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**A/N:**

**Hey guys! I'll get started on the next part tonight, but reviews would be a great motivator :D**

**'Til next time!**

**-Honey and Cheerios  
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	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:**

**Hey guys! Hope we didn't keep you waiting too long. Thanks so much to all of our reviewers:**

**Merlin Lover, Shumai, pendragonluvr23, xGeminiGirlx, emerald sorceress, and halogirl810!**

**You guys are the best! Hope you enjoy the next chapter!**

**Disclaimer: We do not own Merlin. We wish we did, but the BBC won't let us have him. **

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There was no response from anyone in the room. Gwen's face was littered with concern, and Merlin just looked completely frazzled. But neither of them motioned to speak, and the silence was getting to Morgana. She dropped the tunic on the bed and looked expectantly at her friends. "Well? What do you think?"

"Think?!" Gwen suddenly rushed to her side, "You're mad! Competing in a tournament with all those trained knights…you could be killed!"

Morgana's face became serious at her concern, "I'm trained with a sword, Gwen."

"But what if that's not enough?" Gwen's expression fell, seeing Morgana could not be persuaded. "…You'll need help then, won't you?" The girl started to pace around the bedroom, "I can get some armor and a suitable sword for you…but it'll be hard to hide your appearance. And you can't just _pretend_ to be a knight from Cornwall. You'll need a seal and a flag…"

"I can do that." Merlin suddenly spoke, glad to offer some assistance. He made a slight cough, seeing Gwen give him a disappointing glance, "I mean…if you're sure you want to go through with this, Morgana?"

She nodded and moved towards the large circular window hanging at the edge of her bedroom. Her pale hands swept through her hair, pulling it back and away from her face. But even with the hair aside, her face didn't appear the least masculine. "I am sure." _There are helmets for that. _ Morgana turned back to her friends, "You are sure you can get the armor and weaponry, Gwen? The first contest starts early…"

"Positive, my lady."

She smiled at the response, "And Merlin…you can somehow conjure the Cornwall seal and flag?"

The young man seemed to flinch at the word _conjure_, but Morgana paid it no notice, "Yes. I can get it done before the tournament." He turned back to Gwen and grabbed her hand tightly, "I'll look out for her, don't worry."

"Thank you, Merlin…it all just seems so silly." Gwen turned to her, in one last attempt to convince her, "You're really just doing this to teach Arthur a lesson?"

Morgana hesitated, that weird knot in her stomach suddenly returning. _No, no. Of course I am. What other reason would there be?_ "Yes. And it should be more fun than just watching from the stands."

"…won't they notice you're gone?" Merlin asked. "Doesn't Uther always expect you to watch the challenges?"

The lady froze, not seeing this slight hole in her plan. _What can I do? _She thumbed the soft, grey tunic gently between her fingers, letting the twisted cotton rub against her skin, "…I'll be sure to think of something. But if you two will excuse me for a second, I want to look for some more _suitable _clothes." She placed the shirt back on the bed and headed towards her other clothes.

The two servants nodded and edged their way to the door, "We'll prepare for tomorrow then, my lady." Gwen gave Morgana a feigned smile, and she and Merlin left the room.

She returned to her armoire, but it seemed useless. It was richly filled with billowing gowns and embroidered bodices with the finest detail, but there was no sign of anything practical for tomorrow's event. The only thing faintly resembling a man's clothes were a pair of riding breeches from 10 years ago. "Doubt those still fit…" She huffed silently in frustration, "But where can I get…"

"Get? Get what?"

Morgana whipped around in surprise. _Who would just walk into a bedroom before knocking?_ She rolled her eyes at the sight, "Arthur? What are you doing?"

"Checking in on you, Morgana." He eyed her carefully, "You just seem to be getting more and more defensive, don't you?"

Her black hair flew around as she turned her back towards him, "I'm not. You should know better than to just come into my room. What if I was changing?"

There was a moment of silence from the blond behind her, causing Morgana to turn back around. She was only greeted with a sly smile. "Well I would have most likely thrown up at the sight." The grin only grew seeing her face twist into a scowl. "But seriously now, I was just seeing if you weren't too…_offended_ at what I said before."

"Offended?" Morgana walked up to him, "Now why would you think that? Usually telling a girl she was going to grow up to be a decrepit hag is just a confidence booster." She felt her chest deflate at the realization. Her hands fell loosely at her sides, becoming calm. _He came here to apologize…that's…so…_

"Father was right then…you are upset with me."

She blinked, "_Father_?" Her frustration was swift to return. "Did you only come here because Uther told you to?" Morgana moved away from Arthur, sitting on her bed instead of facing him directly. She felt her face become red…though it didn't feel like it was from anger.

"He was concerned."

…_Of course. _

_Arthur isn't concerned about me; why would he be?_ "I'm fine, Arthur. This isn't the first time you've berated me, is it?"

The prince looked down when she said that, blue eyes seeming dull even in the daylight, "Morgana…I don't really…" His voice suddenly fell. Arthur's head popped up, attention straying to the bed where Morgana sat. There was a sudden thrust of movement in her chest. She could feel the sudden panging of her heart hit the surface of her skin, accelerating significantly as he approached her. Morgana tilted her head to the side, hiding her flushing cheeks, as he reached forward. "…Morgana?"

She couldn't help but look up at his voice, all embarrassment seeming to vanish at the sound of her name.

But his hand veered away from her body and grabbed something to her side, "Is this my shirt?"

The movement in her chest immediately slowed when she looked at Arthur's confused expression at the grey tunic. She shook her head immediately, "No."

"No?" Arthur picked it up and held it against his chest. She half hoped he would just try it on, but knew that thought was absolutely ridiculous. "It appears to be my size…and I do remember losing a grey tunic about a month ago."

"No, no." She was beginning to convince herself, "Why would I have your shirt?"

He cocked an eyebrow, "You tell me."

"It's not yours!" Morgana grabbed the shirt out of his hand only to place it back haphazardly on the bed.

Arthur eyed her curiously, "That still doesn't explain why you have a _man's_ shirt in your bedroom." The tone in his voice had changed. It sounded deeper…and dare she think _jealous?_

"It's a gift." She was relieved at how easy this lie was forming.

"A gift?" He wouldn't let up, "For who?"

Morgana paused. She didn't really know any men…especially ones that she would be buying presents for, "…For Merlin."

"_Merlin_?" There was a strange mixture of confusion and humor in his voice. Arthur looked hesitantly at the shirt, "And why would you be getting Merlin a shirt?"

She shrugged and folded the grey tunic, smoothing out the creases and smiling at it admiringly. "Why not?"

Arthur's voice became harsher, "It's inappropriate first of all."

_Inappropriate? _Morgana inwardly laughed. "I don't think so."

"He's a servant!"

Her smile faded into a frown at his scornful voice, "Are you that much of a snob, Arthur?"

"No...No!" His confidence was failing, something rare for Arthur. Morgana noticed his stutter, and there was a vague shade of red present on his cheeks. _…That's strange_. "I…I just think that you could do better."

_Better? _ "Before no one would be my suitor. Now you're saying I find someone better than Merlin?"

He gave a quick nod, "Yes." Arthur's blue eyes dashed to the ground, suddenly unable to face her directly. "I believe so."

It was so tempting to just say it, just to see what would happen. _Maybe he'll…_ She walked closer to Arthur, causing him to lift his head in slight surprise, "Like who?"

"Like…"

The loud knock on the door pulled both of their attention away from each other. Morgana paused, waiting for Arthur to continue, but the prince was fully focused on the new guest. She inwardly sighed and opened the door to her room, only to reveal a smiling Merlin, "Lady Morgana!"

"Merlin!" She grinned easily, hearing a slight sigh from the prince behind her.

Arthur walked up to his servant, "And what are you doing here, Merlin?"

"Err…" His hands suddenly went behind his back, clumsily trying to conceal something, "Just…ummm dropping by to say hello."

"Oh, how kind of you." Morgana went behind Merlin and pushed him in her room, advertently covering whatever he was hiding behind his back. "I really do appreciate the _caring_ and _thoughtful _person you are. It's just…" She glared slightly at the prince, "…such a nice change from what I'm used to."

There was a loud cough from Arthur, who was suddenly making a dash towards the exit. "Well, I think we should be leaving. Shouldn't we, Merlin?" The question sounded more like a command.

"…Umm…well, I think I'll just stay here a little longer, sire. I need to discuss something with Morgana."

Arthur face reddened, "_Lady_ Morgana."

"Morgana is good enough." She smiled and touched Merlin's shoulder, offering him a sweet smile, "Don't listen to him."

"Fine. Suit yourself, but I'm leaving." The prince's voice sounded gritty. He bit the bottom of his lip, suppressing any sort of outburst. His boots loudly pounded on the floor as he walked out of the room. "Oh and Merlin," He turned around, standing under the doorframe. "When you get back, my room needs to be cleaned. Oh and my armor needs to be repaired and polished for tomorrow's tournament. And make sure to muck out the whole stable for all of the knights' horses."

Merlin blinked, "My lord, you said I could have the rest of the day off…"

"Hmm," Arthur smirked, "I guess I changed my mind." His gaze shifted from Merlin to Morgana for a brief moment, "I suppose you can't stay here too long then." Arthur gave a slight wave and grabbed the door, slamming it as he left.

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**A/N:**

**Thanks for reading! Reviews would be just great! And I'll (Honey) update soon!**

**-Honey and Cheerios  
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